"In the third month, when the children of
Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same
day came they into the wilderness of Sinai..."--Exodus, Chapter 19

So
begins one of the Bible's most memorable sagas, the
40-year wanderings of Moses and the Israelites through
the vast and barren prison of Sinai. No story has done
more to put Sinai on the map than Exodus, and for many, a
visit to the land where manna fell from heaven and Moses
received the Ten Commandments is nothing short of a
pilgrimage.

Most of the places mentioned in Exodus are unknown. Where
the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, where they first set
foot in Sinai, and even the location of biblical Mt.
Sinai itself is the subject of relentless argument among
scholars, historians, and theologians. Exodus may have
put Sinai on the map, but putting Exodus back into a
geographical context is an unfinished labor that often
involves sifting through desert sands and Old Testament
manuscripts for minute clues.

There
are three main theories as to the route the Israelites
used when they crossed into Sinai. The first has Moses
and his tribes moving out of Egypt past modern-day Suez,
then crossing into Sinai near Ain Musa. The second places
the crossing further south, near a place called Ain
Sukna. The third and most popular theory focuses on the
north and the Nile Delta region. This region is far
richer in pastures, water, and manna-producing tamarisk
trees, and it also would have been the safest: the
southern routes would have taken the Israelites
dangerously close to Pharaoh's turquoise and copper
mines, which were heavily
garrisoned.

However the Israelites entered Sinai,
the mystery of where they roamed once they got there is
even greater. Central to the story of the wanderings is
the location of Mt. Sinai, the sacred height where God
gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The variety of mountain
theories is practically endless. One theory even says
that Mt. Sinai is really a low mount in southern Israel,
another that it's a highland in Saudi Arabia. Within the
Sinai Peninsula itself, there are so many possibilities
that a rigorous study could only narrow the search to 20
peaks. Wherever the "real Mt. Sinai" is, it is
indisputable that Southern Sinai's Gebel Musa ("Mountain of Moses") carries
enormous spiritual and historical significance for
Christians, Jews, and Muslims. In the 4th century AD,
Coptic Christians came to the mountain and founded a
small church at the spot where it was believed God spoke
to Moses in the form of the burning bush. Later on, the
site evolved into St. Catherine's Monastery, revered by many as one of the most sacred
places on Earth.

It may take years before any solid,
physical traces of Exodus can be found. Moses and the
Israelites were wanderers here, not builders of cities.
But if they were in Sinai for four decades then they
undoubtedly saw quite a bit of it. They passed through
the wadis and drank from the desert wells. The ancient
trails they must have walked are the same ones denizens
of the Sinai have been walking for eons. The physical
evidence may be long gone, but the landscape - and the
story - are eternal and inseparable.

Oasis of
Feiran...An introduction to the place where
Moses drew water from the rock, and where the Israelites
fought the battle of Raphadim.

St.
Catherine Monastery...An in-depth look at what's behind the
walls of Sinai's greatest pilgrimage point, including the
Fountain of Moses and the legendary Burning Bush.

Mount Sinai...For the true believers, this is
"the one and only" mountain where God gave
Moses the Ten Commandments and the laws of Israel.